KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 13 — Malaysians should affirm the so-called “social contract” to ensure unity among the different communities, Muslims were reminded today in the official Friday sermon for mosques nationwide.

In conjunction with Malaysia Day next week, the sermon by Malaysian Islamic Development Department (JAKIM) also reiterated the need for Muslims to band together to defend Islam without losing respect for others.

“In our country, the social contract agreement between the citizens have been agreed on even since 1948 and it has been enshrined in the Federal Constitution until today,” said the sermon here.

“Believe it, we can only achieve acceptance if every citizen understands the social contract that becomes the core to the lives of people of different races.”

The “social contract”, an unwritten deal said to be agreed upon before the nation’s Independence in 1957, has always been the point of contention among politicians here, particularly over the special rights accorded to the Malays, the country’s most dominant ethnic group.

It is not expressly mentioned in the Constitution, but is purportedly a quid pro quo trade-off with its indigenous Bumiputera communities for granting citizenship to the immigrant Chinese and Indians and has been repeatedly touted to defend the special rights of the Malays.

Oftentimes, the social contract has been used to defend the concept of Ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy), with non-Malays feeling as if they are continually being treated as second-class citizens even though born and raised locally.

More progressive government leaders who have dared to speak out against this deal have often found themselves on the receiving end of criticisms in Malay-majority Malaysia.

JAKIM today claimed that only by affirming the “social contract”, a citizen can show that he has the inner strength to be a loyal citizen, and for a race to show that it wants to be included in a nationwide show of agreement.

The sermon also warned Muslims against being emotional, extremist, fanatic and selfish, but to choose negotiation instead of violence and riots.

“Remember that Muslims who understand the spirit of understanding are those who remain open, think good of others, and respectful with one another regardless of the beliefs of certain groups,” it said.

“Indeed, the purity of religion and dignity of Islam will not be insulted or mocked if every Muslim can strengthen their unity and always stay together in handling any threats to the religion and community.”

JAKIM ended its sermon by urging Muslims to continue the fight for the word “Allah” to be exclusive to Muslims, and not to Christians who believe in the Trinity.

In the Christian faith, the Trinity refers to the three divine personifications of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The religious authorities had last week slammed their opponents for deigning to challenge for the use of the term, and called upon Muslims to unite in a “holy struggle” against enemies of the faith.

After the submission on Monday, the Court of Appeal expects to reach a decision this October on whether Catholic newspaper, The Herald, may continue to use the word “Allah”. 

Malaysia celebrates Malaysia Day on September 16 next week, to commemorate the establishment of the Malaysian federation between Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak,and North Borneo (now Sabah) on the same date in 1963.

The Malays and Bumiputera make up the majority of Malaysia’s population at an estimated 67.4 per cent of the 28.3 million population, followed by the Chinese at 24.6 per cent, according to the most recent census at 2010.